New speaker!

The new addition...
Color coordinated! Top - bottom:
X-mini speaker,
Wacom Bamboo pen
with Lime Green duck tape,
Pen-Pal pen holder
attached to Wacom tablet.
(Yes, that IS paint
all over the table top.)

Sometimes it's the little things that make your day. Literally.
I always make a point to take advantage of whatever unique opportunities my job-at-the-time presents.
So when the X-mini speakers went on clearance for $1.00, I couldn't resist! I chose the lime green - my current accent color and answer to the all-black-studio-dilemma (see my post: Black is the New Pain-In-The-Ass)
When I got home and hooked it up, not only did it sound great for a tiny little speaker... I was delighted to see how color-coordinated it was with the rest of my setup.I love it and think it looks super cool.
I know - it's a small deal - but it still gives me a little thrill when I see it. :)
[Another bonus from work: My Wacom stylus was always rolling off the table... The (lime green!) Pen-Pal, a handy little office-supply-item,  keeps my stylus handy, yet out of the way.]

Painting Demonstration for Golden High School art class

Donald Sutherland, from
The Great Train Robbery

Tim Miller is one of my friends from school days. He is an art teacher at Golden High School (see this story.) He invited me to do a painting demonstration for one of his art classes, who are doing a portrait project in Acrylic.

The students were great, and their own artwork is awesome. I am blown away by the level of artistry of these high school students, and excited for them.
I searched around for a good reference photo, with a face that had a good 'sculptural' quality. I originally thought of doing a portrait of Peter Cushing, until I discovered that the photo I was going to use was not a photo at all, but a 3D render... and a really good one! But a digital render was not the right reference for this demonstration, as it would mean re-interpreting another artist's interpretation, if you know what I mean.
Then I found some photos of Donald Sutherland, who I have always thought would be fun to draw or paint. He has a very interesting, distinctive face. That's when I stumbled across this photo  of Sutherland from The Great Train Robbery.Wow, how cool. A great actor, a great costume, and a pretty good photo.

An hour isn't enough time to complete a painting (and more's the pity, eh?) So I decided to show some of the basics and concepts that I use when mixing colors.  

I enjoyed the demonstration, and I like the actor, the costume, and the photo, so I decided to follow up the demo by finishing the painting and posting step-by-step photos.  There is a lot to do with the piece to finish.

This should be fun. :)

04/09/14 in-class demo
Initial values and colors

04/09/14 Back in the studio
Light wash of Yellow Ochre
to warm the face.
Develop structure around
the (left) eye, cheekbone,
and forehead.

Skulley2 in Gouache revised.

I've had the Skulley2 Gouache poster study sitting in the studio for a few days. I kept looking at it, thinking that the whole thing looked too dark. Then it occurred to me that by toning down the top surface of the table, the rest would not seem so dark by comparison, and since the highlights would now be the lightest value, it would allow them to stand out.

04/03/14
The revised study
Skulley2
Gouache, 5x7"

03/25/14
The original study
Skulley2
Gouache, 5x7"

...and still more thumbnails...

04/03/14
Scene thumbnails
Pen, 2x3" and 1"

04/03/14
Dragon thumbnails, Pen

03/30/14
Horse sketch, pen, 3 x 2"

03/30/14
Faces thumbnails, Pen, 1"
Pushing shapes around the square.

03/31/14
Composition thumbnails
Pen, 2 x 3"
I saw a composition that
intrigued me and related
to a current idea I've been
playing with, so I tried
working through the idea.

03/31/14
Composition thumbnails
Pen, 1"
The only thing to do is to
'run it through the mill.'

03/31/14
Gnome and dragon thumbnails, Pen, 1"
Playing with shapes.

More Thumbnails!

Working on a piece for a client.
It really helps to put an idea through its paces. The 1" size makes sure the drawing is too small to get carried away with fussy detail. It's just right - work the idea without too much time and energy investment - just enough to see how it works. Then try a variation, change something, move something, and work it in a variety of ways. The end result is that I can see which ideas work, and which ideas don't. I can also see which parts of the ideas work, and try combining them. 

03/29/14
Caricature 1"' thumbnails

03/29/14
Caricature 1" thumbnails.

I was looking for interviews on YouTube to listen to as I draw, and I stumbled across this photo of an alien skull (or something) on Pinterest...
Which got me to thinking... So, of course, since I was thinking, it was a good time to start thumbnailing...

03/29/14
Skulls - 1" thumbails

Fun with thumbnails!

03/27/14
Horses - thumbnails 3x2"

It's amazing how much fun you can have with a few sheets of 1" squares.

03/27/14
Misc. 1" thumbnails

03/27/14
Fishes 1" thumbnails

03/27/14
Dogs & Rodents 1" thumbnails

Add 03/27/14
Misc. 1" thumbnails

03/27/14
Horses 1" thumbnails

03/27/14
Birds1" thumbnails

One thing inevitably leads to another
03/27/14
Animal Sketches
Pen & Marker, ~10 x 4"

SKULLEY2 in Gouache

I picked up a set of gouache at the art supply store a couple weeks ago, and today I finally had a chance to give it a go. First things first: a study of my pal Skulley2 in black and white to get used to the medium. I mixed a 5-step value scale to begin with:1 being just slightly off-white, and 5 being just slightly off-black. Of course, I was unable to resist getting into more value gradations, but it was good to start with.
This is the first work I have done in gouache since college. I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to exploring the medium and really getting a handle on it.

03/25/14
Skulley2
Gouache on watercolor
paper, 5x7"

More sketches

03/23/14
Sculpture Sketch
Pen, 8x10"

03/23/14
Faces and Creatures
Pen, 8x10"

03/23/14
More Faces, Creatures, and ...?
Pen, 8x10"

03/23/14
Some DJ Guy on YouTube
Pen, 8x10"

A Couple Productive - and FUN - days of sketching.

Animals, warriors, sorcerers, spaceships, dragons, and more....
The last couple days I have generated dozens of pages of thumbnails and sketches.
It has definitely been productive - and fun!
Here are a few select pages from my sketchbooks:

03/22/14
Gladiator Sketches (Pen)
Quite possibly my favorite
sketch of the day!

03/22/14
Sketches (Pen)

03/22/14
Warrior/Paladin Sketches (Pen)

03/22/14
Warrior/Paladin Sketches (Pen)

03/22/14
Warrior/Paladin Sketch

03/22/14
Thumbnail Sketch (Pen)

03/22/14
Thumbnail Sketches (Pen_

03/22/14
Thumbnail Skteches (Pen)

03/22/14
Thumbnail Sketches

03/22/14
Skethces

03/22/14
Enchanter Sketches

03/22/14
Enchanter Sketch

03/22/14
Enchanter Sketch

03/22/14
...oh, and more sorcerer thumbnails...

03/22/14
Hovercraft/ Spaceship Sketches
Black Fine Point Pen & Marker

03/22/14
Thumbnail Aviator Sketch
Black Fine Point Pen & Marker

03/22/14
Planes and stuff
Black Fine Point Pen & Marker

03/22/14
 Thumbnail Aviation sketches
Black Fine Point Pen & Marker

03/20/14
Facial constructions

03/20/14
Dragon Sketch
Black Pen & Marker

03/20/13
Faces and Gorilla